As a young woman of color, I felt obligated to stay up late Tuesday to hear the outcome of the presidential election.

Nov. 4, 2008, would be a historic day no matter who won.

Had John McCain won, Sarah Palin would have become the first woman to be vice president of the United States. This feat would have taught me that as women, we have come very far and women everywhere can obtain higher seats of authority. It would have taught me that women have a say in what's happening in our government and that people are listening.

However, as an African-American, this win feels great.

It's amazing to watch the reactions of the older members of American society who thought that this day would never come. Because of Barack Obama, when I grow up to have children of my own, I can honestly say that they could be whatever they want to be.

I watched news coverage of the presidential election from about 5:30 p.m. to about 3 a.m. I was witnessing history and I was not about to miss one moment.

Nov. 4, 2008, a date like so many others before it, will become a date recorded in history books. Everyone will always know where they were when America elected its first African-American president, Barack Obama.